Gaspard Gevartius

Gaspard Gevartius

The Antwerp city clerk Jan
Gaspard Gevartius , or Gevaerts, is sitting at his writing desk, making notes in a
manuscript with a quill. He has briefly interrupted his work and looks up at the viewer. His black
beard contrasts sharply with the white ruff around his neck. His hands are lined by two fine white
sleeves. The bust on the table represents the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, a source of
inspiration to Gevartius on whom he also wrote an unpublished book. The books in the background
refer to the city clerk’s position and personal interests.
Peter Paul Rubens painted this wonderfully subdued portrait during a period when
he was producing mainly grand series of paintings and colourful altarpieces. It was presumably
commissioned by Gevartius, a close friend of Rubens’s. Whenever Rubens had to travel abroad on
diplomatic missions, he would temporarily entrust the education of his eldest son Albert to
Gevartius.

Who copied who?

The Antwerp artist
Cornelis de Vos painted a similar portrait of Gevartius’s father. Undoubtedly, the
two paintings were intended as a pair. But which of the two was made first? Was it De Vos who
created a companion piece to Rubens’s portrait or was it Rubens who copied the somewhat archaic
style of De Vos?